Wednesday, 6 May 2009

Government launches swine flu advert

Government launches swine flu advertThe UK government has launched an advertisement where UK citizens are informed about how to help prevent infection by the swine flu virus. The most important thing people can do by their selves is having a good hygiene. Cover your face with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then throw this tissue away and wash your hands with an anti-bacterial soap immediately to kill the virus. If we all do this, the chance of getting infected by the virus would be smaller. The UK government also posted pamphlets with information about the new virus to all the citizens of the UK.

My opinionLaunching this advertisement is a very good action of the government of the UK. It is good to keep people informed about how to act in a situation like this. But there is another aspect that we should consider. The government of The Netherlands has not done something like this yet and I think they have done it very consciously: they do not want Dutch people to panic. Does this mean that the UK is now panicking about the swine flu? Or are we Dutch people being kept uninformed? I really do not know what is the best choice. What is the best solution to prepare a country for an upcoming pandemic: keep the people informed (and taking the risk that people panic and overreact like it is happening in the USA) or keep them ignorant and let the virus develop its own way? Like always: in Holland you relay in your own capability of finding a solution when it comes to health care, but I am afraid a paracetamol will not help against the swine flu... I am just a very worried mother.